Defense Secretary Hegseth removes Tuskegee Airmen and Colin Powell from Pentagon displays

On Jun. 19, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requested “a passive approach” to Juneteenth messaging with no online content, despite Juneteenth being a federal holiday. (Rolling Stone; Alternet)

Arlington National Cemetery unpublished its entire “African American History,” “Hispanic American History,” and “Women’s History” sections, removing online content on the Tuskegee Airmen, General CPColin Powell, and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. (Task & Purpose; NPR)

The Pentagon flagged over 26,000 images and posts for removal in its DEI purge, including photos of war heroes, military firsts, and Medal of Honor recipients. (Associated Press)

The Air Force removed—and later restored after public outcry—Tuskegee Airmen training videos from basic training courses, while Arlington then deleted webpages honoring Tuskegee Airmen graves. (Rolling Stone; Federal News Network)

An Army article titled “Juneteenth: Celebrating freedom, honoring those who fought for equality” was removed from the Army’s official website. (Rolling Stone)

The Pentagon removed and then quietly restored an article about Jackie Robinson’s World War II service and his role in integrating baseball. (Rolling Stone)

Pentagon orders banned official recognition and online resources for Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. (NBC News; Military.com)

Arlington Cemetery delinked pages about Civil War–era sites Freedman’s Village and Section 27, where freed slaves lived and were buried. (Task & Purpose)

Lesson plans and educational materials on United States Colored Troops were removed from Arlington’s website, erasing content on Black regiments that served in the Union Army. (Task & Purpose; Spokesman-Review)

Language describing Black World War II soldiers as having “served their country and fought for racial justice” was sanitized to generic wording about “their dedication and service.” (Task & Purpose)